I do agree that the younger generation is not inclined to consider running a hawker stall as a future career. This is attributable to the fact that parents may have set different expectations on their children. Generally, all parents, want their children to have a comfortable life and a hawker business is demanding due to the long hours, tough physical conditions such as constantly cooking is a stuffy kitchen and insufficient perks such as paid annual or medical leave.

Young people aspire to do well in their examinations and land a cushy, white-collar job with prospects of promotion and retirement benefits. A hawker has to take care of his or her own needs and put aside funds for healthcare and for when they are no longer able to run the business.

ii)                National level Perspective (Government, media)

However, recently, especially after Singapore received the UNESCO World Heritage title for culture, there ahs been a renewed interest among young people in becoming hawkers. Stories are regularly featured in the papers and social media of young, educated individuals who decided to become their won bosses and run hawker stalls. Some of these youngsters have a keen passions for cooking and want to try their hand at running a business where the overheads are not that high. If they were to begin with a restaurant, the cost of rental for space and engaging workers can be exorbitant / cost an arm and a leg. However, hawker stalls are more affordable and after a few years of developing their business knowledge, some of these young entrepreneurs move on to set up their own restaurants.

iii)              Some suggestions for the future

I believe that our government is actively promoting efforts to raise the profile of hawker culture by offering subsidies and training programmes under the Skills future scheme to encourage people to learn cooking skills and apply them to running a business. It is in the national interest to keep hawker culture alive since we now have a Unesco title to maintain.

Some years ago, the risk of hawker culture dying out was there but I believe the future of hawker culture may change as more innovative and fusion dishes will be on offer as more and more young people step up to take over small businesses. Despite the difficult conditions of running a hawker stall, when young people work with partners, have passion for cooking, want to have flexibility in life and receive the right support, our hawker culture has a chance of  staying alive.

This article offers ideas on the benefits of winning and losing.

https://littlesagepreschool.com.sg/en/why-winning-and-losing-is-important-for-children/

The one 'game' I did not like being part of was 'fighting spiders' as this required the children of the neighbourhood to venture into the jungles and shrubbery to search for spiders- which hid in their nests, usually built between two broad leaves.

Searching for the spiders was tiring as the days were really hot and the shrubbery offered little shade. Moreover, the boys seemed far better at identifying the male fighter spiders and most of the girls caught the female spiders which were not build for fighting.

Instead of being part of the game, where two players pit their spiders in a fighting match over a matchbox, I rather watched the 'battle'. This usually took a few seconds with the more powerful spider attacking the weaker one with its fangs. When one spider turned and ran, the winner is determined.

Spiders then became 'king' and the owner had bragging rights over the others.

When I look back now, I feel sorry for the poor spiders which are captured and removed from their homes and family. Their life span is probably shortened in captivity. I am glad that this game has become a thing of the past.

Read the articles and summarise:

1) 3 benefits of Winning

2) 3 Benefits of Losing

Your answer should distil the main ideas from the 2 articles.

Despite, that some people may find that exercising alone is more preferable as when exercising alone people tend to be more focus than when exercising with others this is due to the fact that when working out with people we tend to get more sidetrack and easily distracted for example when having a conversation with them we could be too immerse in it which would drag our workout timing for too long. As compared to exercising alone we are more locked in and we can complete it within an hour at most.

Nonetheless, working out in groups does have their pros and cons but in the end of the day it is what the people find preferable to their lifestyle. Therefore, i still feel that exercising with people is better.

Secondly excercising alone gives me the leisure of taking it at my own pace. When with others you always have to keep up with the pace of others as well as you will tend to mimic the persons exact routine.This will make the workout even worse as you either have to hold yourself from your limits to help others keep up or push yourself far beyond in order to not feel the burden of being the slowest or worst.

Lastly, working out alone is easier than in groups. When your alone, you dont have the group and u will feel less restricted with your choices. You can pick based on your mood of the day instead of grudgingly doing something due to votes being won by the majority.You get to fully enjoy your workout that is suited for your preference of the day. That enjoyable workout will make you feel like working out more frequently which as a result makes you more motivated to push you beyond your limits.

Although working out in groups skes have its benefits such as killing the feeling of total isolation in public areas, the personal benefits you get from excercising alone is more than when with other people

Admittedly, my family will not agree with my view on exercising alone and would rather them follow suit behind me. This is because they have no trust in me separating myself from them to work out and are afraid that I might fumble and make a grave mistake in the process. Additionally, my family puts a huge significance on my safety as I am the pride of the family. They cannot tolerate my lone actions to achieve the goal set by them and wishes to be part of my progress. Hence, they find it crucial that themselves and I have a group workout together as a family.

In a nutshell, while my peers' explanation is justified, I believe that is integral to an individual that they suffer and strive to achieve a goal on their own so that they become more experienced in accomplishing tasks solo. I hope my family members learn to trust me to have my solo progression in my journey of self improvement.

Additionally, if i was in the gym alone, I would be bored of working out and must have music to entertain myself. However, I have been getting bored of my music and need another form of entertainment to make myself enjoy the workout. I love to interact with others and this would help me be able to ignore what workout i am doing.However, I enjoy the feeling of being energised and having a feeling of completing a challenge after a workout. Therefore, I would enjoy both during and after the workout.

Although, I do understand why some people would prefer the option of exercising on their own due to privacy or the fear of being perceived as inferior while around others. A few exercises may not be comfortable for a minority to do in public yoga due to the slightly suggestive positions that are done. They may also feel anxious about doing exercises with other people due to the fact they are unable to achieve the same point of accomplishment as the majority. An example of this is in weightlifting where a person may be dissuaded by not being able to lift as much weight as the other people at the gym.

One reason why I always find myself attracted to sports as there are always people to push me to be better. For example, in swimming, it could be an individual singles event, but your opponents swimming beside you will pressure you to swim faster and be better, which is something most people would not do when exercising alone. If you exercise alone, you can make excuses and slack off and thus not reaching your true potential. Thus exercising with other people pushes me out of my comfort zone, as by nature I do not want to be left behind my peers.

Another reason why I prefer to exercise in groups is because it reduces stress levels, as well as stimulates the production of endorphins in the brain. I also find delight in the adrenaline rush that follows the workout as it helps me loosen up from my studies. Exercising in groups allows me to connect more with my friends and also make new friends, as we bond through a common sport. This makes exercising more exciting and interesting, instead of the dread that shows on people’s faces when the word “gym” comes up.

Thus, I would prefer to exercise with other people rather than alone, as there are so many opportunities to make new friends, improve yourself and relieve stress.

Moreover, exercising with someone can also enhance the efficiency and safety of the work out session.We can mutually encourage each other to push to our limits, which is important as if I were to work out on my own, I would most likely take the easy way out. Thus, exercising with others improves muscle growth and fat loss. It is also safer as when in the gym, certain equipment such as the bench press is dangerous if done alone. If you are not able to push the bar up, you may suffocate. Therefore having someone there to spot you may save your life.

In addition, if we work out with other people, we can better understand the other party as we share a common experience. This would allow us to bond and communicate with the person we are working with, resulting in a strong friendship that may last for a lifetime.

In conclusion, I would rather work out with others as it is more enjoyable, efficient, safe, and improves social life. However, I feel that it does not matter whether you exercise alone or with people as in the end, the most important part is that you are keeping yourself fit and healthy by exercising.

On the other end of the spectrum, exercising solo can also be very advantageous. Being solitude can help you understand your own personal strength and weaknesses when working out. We can focus even more due to the lack of disruptions in the surroundings. For example, being in the gym alone can make us spend more time focusing on every aspect of our body. Along those lines, it also makes us become more observant, increasing chances of picking up new skills done by others present in the gym. it would be seen as killing 2 birds with 1 stone. For example, if i were to be at the gym , i can observe how others make use of machines that look complicated to be used. I can learn and pick up notions of it, enhancing my general knowledge.

In conclusion, i can state that both working in groups and solo has its own benefits and gives a helping hand to expand our horizons. Though this is relevant, i still think that working in bundles is more effective. I can ask my friends on any doubts that i have about working out instead of figuring it out myself. Inclusive to that, it makes the experience more enriching making us feel more jubilant and exuberant.

Similarly, working out with people influences us to exercise. They can impact us positively by making us question ourselves. For example people can question themselves "if they can do it why am i not doing it? " These questions would also help us to change our mindset which will lead us to exercise.

In fact, working out in groups are fun. The groups spirit and energy will produce a lively environment. It also inspires us to continue and complete the workout together. Group exercise also allows us to meet new people and their interests. from them we can learn a lot of new exercises and workouts. We can also learn and try out the different workout plans everyone of them have.

Therefore, I would rather work out with people. It not only gives me motivation, it also allows me to exercise more regularly in a fun and exciting way.

Secondly, exercising allows me to have more bonding between my friends and also make new friends as we interact through a common space. Exercising is a great way to connect with friends as it provides an opportunity to create memorable experiences with them. Through exercising, we give each other tips on how to better workout which made working out more enjoyable. Having supportive community build friendships, and have fun while staying active.

In conclusion, exercising with others enhances workout experience, and foster social connections. Thus, I would like to exercise with others.

In contract, I understand that exercise with other people allows to bond with family or friends, it boosts the relationships between each other. However, it may be more time consuming for both bonding and exercising progress at the same time and lead to the decreasing efficiency as we are not focus on the exercise. Hence, solo workout may let me to be more focus and healthy. Hence, I prefer to exercise on my own.

In my opinion, I exercise with other people can also create a more lively environment. Rather than jogging alone around the stadium with earplugs stuck to your ear, a group of people can get you to engaging in a conversation which makes exercising a much more energetic activity. Though others may prefer exercising alone as they can go at their own pace and able to enjoy the calmness of the environment. After all, everyone has a different way of perceiving the way they would like to exercise.

Another reason is to ensure that there are always people to ensure each other's safety. My parents are always concern about my safety as I am the only child in the family. Hence, they tend to be overprotective over me and would always make sure that I am with someone trusted when I go out. Exercising with others, especially with my peers would allow my parents to ensure that I am accompanied with people I trust.

By Brandi Swieter

Many people opt for solo workouts because they want to go at their own pace. They can go to the gym when they want and only exercise for a short amount of time if they desire. Group workouts are another option, but they often require people to meet at a particular time on a specific day of the week. It might be a little harder for people to fit it into their schedule. But which option is better, or are both equally beneficial?

Benefits of a Solo Workout

Working out in any way has its advantages. Individuals get to improve their strength, stamina, and flexibility by exercising whether they’re doing it alone or with others. Those looking to lose weight often start out by eating right and adding exercise to their daily routine. Some may try to exercise for just 30 minutes each day, while others attempt a longer timeframe to make sure they’re losing fat and gaining muscle. Doing the activity alone ensures people can go at their own pace and follow their own schedule, which often makes it easier for them to fit into their plans.

Benefits of a Group Workout

A group workout brings all the same benefits of a solo one. People can use the sessions to lose weight, build muscle, increase stamina, improve strength, and gain flexibility. Both options promote a healthier lifestyle, but group options, such as fitness classes, often help people stay motivated better. Individuals see how hard the others around them are working and the weight they’re losing, so they want to continue trying as well. It also helps lower stress levels moreso than working out alone. This is because people are not sitting in a gym focusing on their own tasks. They are instead together in a group with others, benefiting from a social setting. Many people even make friends or at least acquaintances with the people in their classes, leading to more social time and even less stress.

The Overall Consensus

Group workouts may be more time consuming, and they can be difficult to fit into a schedule, but the overall health benefits far outweigh exercising solo. Solo exercising helps people lose weight and gain muscle, but it doesn’t reduce stress and provide motivation quite as well as a group workout does. Both group and solo workout sessions bring many benefits to the body. Overall, however, group workouts seem to win out, lessening stress and improving the overall quality of life for many people. Find a fitness class or group workout available at a local gym to gain these benefits.

Personally, my friends and I would welcome a move to make travelling on buses and trains free. Currently, a Hybrid Concession pass which allows me to take buses and trains cost me $49 a month. If I can save on this amount, I can put aside part of my allowance for the future or spend it on going out with friends or splurging a new device.

In contrast, I know that my father and older siblings- who take the trains to work- may not be too pleased with the sudden surge in the number of people who use the public transport system. Overcrowding, especially during peak hours, can make for rather uncomfortable rides. In time, however, such teething problems can be ironed out with the upgrading of our transport infrastructure. 

Recently, Luxemburg became the first city in the world to make public transport free and if this becomes a practice in more countries, in the long run, when more drivers decide to give up their cars, we will experience environmental benefits such as lower carbon emissions. Cleaner air not only is healthier for people, but it also slows down global warming.

Overall, most people welcome the chance to save money, especially with the rising cost of living. Thus, I believe that providing free public transport to commuters is a move in the right direction.

Health is one of the most important aspects of our life. I believe in interacting with a human being regarding my health matters rather than AI, as it enables me to obtain a more accurate diagnosis of my health issues. An AI avatar or bot would be unable to provide me with a proper diagnosis as the AI would just analyse my symptoms based only on what I share with it. Unlike AI, doctors can observe and evaluate my physical, mental and emotional outlook and ask specific questions pertaining to my medical needs.

When it comes to financial matters, I would be able to rest easy if I were to interact with a personal banking staff rather than an AI generated Avatar. Interactions regarding my financial matters and personal details are very crucial. When dealing with AI, there is always a risk of my personal details being hacked and stolen by scammers. When dealing with a teller in person at the bank, my needs and information can be relayed in a more detailed and clear manner. A teller can also field questions which may be very specific to my needs compared to AI which can only manage the issues which it has been programmed with. 

I would not mind chatting with a bot when tackling routine matters such as making appointments, checking on banking balances or troubleshooting issues with my devices.

Overall, I hope that people will continue to be employed in fields where sensitive information is shared to protect the privacy and security of customers.

2) Benefits of losing include character development. Losing can teach us life lessons. By losing, we can learn how to deal with failures in our lives and face it. Another benefit includes helping us build resilience. When you lose, you just pick yourself up and try again. It can also teach kids self-control. Losing can teach kids that they will not win every time and not everything will always go their way.

Winning helps children to think more strategically. For example, in a soccer game context, children are able to think of how they can tackle their opponent using strategies as a team to defeat their opponent. This will help them to think more critically in the future. Furthermore, winning may boost confidence in themselves. Children might immediately have low self-esteem when they see other children that are more capable than them which causes them to give up. Winning would give them the opportunity to boost confidence and recognize for their efforts no matter how small. Winning would also enable children to do more than their best throughout. When they have faced a challenge and they know that they are not able to do it, winning will encourage them to do their best in any situation, even if it is a challenge.

2) However, not at all situations, we can be a winner. There are days where we have to lose. Losing actually helps to buold resilience in us. For example, if we failed to win a competition, we should put in more effort for the next competition or reward ourselves as we know that we put in our best. We need to tell ourselves to keep on trying and eventually, we might get to be the champions. Losing also teach us key number life lessons. We need to understand that losing does not equal to being a failure. A huge amount of us believe that winning means the end, but it means that we have tried our best but there might have been some challenges that we face along the way which causes us to lose. In addition, it helps us to build self control. It helps to develop our self control and understand our own boundaries and limitations in life. Self control is seen to be something which is very minor, however self control is important as without it, we will just do everything on impulse just to satisfy our wants.

In conclusion, winning or losing is just a part of our life. Everyone will eventually face it no matter how big or small. In the end, everyone is a winner as we are able to conquer the challenges that we face along the way. No matter how people talk about ourselves, we know ourselves better and improve accordingly. We should always recognize our efforts and know that perseverance is the key to succes.

Another benefit of winning is encouraging children to think on their feet. Being a victor means that they were able to overcome obstacles thrown their way by others, encouraging their mind to flow and think on the spot to be able to do this. Through this, children are able to adapt to different situations or scenarios thrown at them at moments notice.

The last benefit of winning is that it encourages children to be at their best. The strategies that they’ve developed to win suggest that their strategies are the best out of the others. This encourages children to strive to be the best version of themselves.

One benefit of losing is to help children cultivate a sense of empathy. Losing often feels lousy, and other children may feel upset or angry about it. The children who won are able to be taught sportsmanship, to understand what the losing team is feeling, to reassure them that it’s okay and that they can try again. This shows children that just because they’ve won, does not mean that you can be prideful and show off.

Another benefit of losing is to build resilience in children. Losing or failure is common, it shows that nobody is perfect and can achieve everything or do everything right the first time. We can teach children that it’s okay to lose and to not feel discouraged, that there are always room for more attempts and it is not the end of the line. It is important to build this resilience in children so that they eventually face struggles on their own, where it is out of our control to help them.

The last benefit of losing is to help children think of alternative solutions. There is no fixed system for anything in life, for example in academic settings like literature and mathematics. Losing helps children think of different ways to win, developing their problem-solving skills and fostering their creativity and their ability to think outside the box.

This point leads me to my second benefit that winning develops the character of an individual as well. When you win something and get that sense of satisfaction, it creates a really huge impact in your mind as well. That sense of joy that comes along with winning affects an individual to a point that they feel motivated and driven to achieve more. This then applies to how an individual begins to look at life from all aspects, personally, professionally, emotionally and mentally as well. They would begin to have a brighter and more positive outlook on life, resulting in individuals adapting practical morals and values that will help them blossom in so many aspects within themselves as mentioned before.

Lastly, through winning you can help others. Being the winner means making others realise and giving others a hope that everyone's time comes and anything is possible if you want to achieve it. Winners can be that ray of light and belief for thoe who strive to do better and become winners as well and that applies to every situation. From winning a trophy in a competition to winning a battle with your thoughts and succeeding emotionally.

2) To the second part of this question, One might think that losing has no benefits because nothing positive is associated with losing. However, losing can have so many unseen benefits. Firstly when an individual loses, there is a stage of feeling at loss and defeated but that realisation lets individuals reflect on what they could have done better. Losing allows people to think back and gain a better perspective of how to do better next time around. That is how losing lets individuals grasp that gage of wanting to make things right and proving themselves to be capable.

In addition to my second point, another benefit of losing is that there is a sense of humility gained from losing. It is part and parcel of life to lose and win and when people lose something, be it a football match or a game of chess, They are brought back to reality and are humbled. It is healthy and normal to be humbled because winning too much can make one over-confident of their capabilities in some cases. The balance between winning and losing should always be present because when you lose something. You remember that you cannot give up and must continue to strive further to accomplish your goal. Therefore, being humbled through losing is also one of its key benefits.

Last but not least, when something is lost. Individuals learn to empathise and deal with it, there are coping strategies involved that help individuals to overcome what they have lost. They learn how to deal with loss and this allows many to become more patient and understanding with time. Individuals learn and begin to appreciate what they have lost and how important "it" was. As the saying goes, "we never realize the importance of something until we lose it". Furthermore, this lets individuals take new and bigger steps towards building a resilient and patient mindset that will come a long way for them.

These are the three benefits to winning and losing, and as stated above. There should always be a perfect balance between winning and losing to ensure humility and progress. Thank you

2)Losing is a crucial learning point for children, teaching them to cope with setbacks in life. Children can come to terms with the fact that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. This brings acceptance and solace and ensures they can bounce back stronger the next time

1. Winning can boost morale and confidence, providing a sense of validation and accomplishment. This can lead to increased motivation and drive to strive for further success.

2. Winning allows people to develop the skill of thinking strategically, allowing them to adapt and come up with solutions on the spot when they are faced with obstacles.

3. Winning can build positive relationships and sportsmanship among teammates or competitors, fostering a sense of unity and shared achievement.

Benefits of Losing:

1. Losing can provide valuable lessons and opportunities for personal growth and development. It allows individuals to identify areas for improvement and work towards overcoming weaknesses.

2. Losing can foster resilience and perseverance, as individuals learn how to bounce back from setbacks and challenges. This can build character and mental toughness.

3. Losing can lead to a greater appreciation for success and a deeper understanding of the value of hard work and dedication. It can serve as a motivator for continued effort and improvement in the future.

2)However, losing also brings benefits such as helping someone build empathy, resilience, self-control and even help them reflect on their mistakes so that they could do better the next time .

2)Losing can help children develop empathy skills.they can also still enjoy what they’re doing and learn from the experience.Losing help children's build empathy skills ,resilience,self control and learn key lessons.